ALFM

IMAGE: Kay Grünewald

ADVANCED LIGHT AND FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY

Advanced light and fluorescence microscopy (ALFM) is a key methodology for studying the function of cellular and macromolecular processes. It provides multidimensional information in vivo and in vitro which is crucial to understanding life and is also proven to be particularly powerful within the context of analysing infections, especially host-pathogen interactions. ALFM enables researchers to capture quantitative, spatio-temporal data on structural organization and its coupled functions, thus making it one of the central techniques in cell, infection, structural and systems biology. Altogether, the ALFM core facility will be a key element in CSSB’s mission towards integrated imaging in structural systems biology.

The ALFM core facility will initially contain a core set of light microscopes that encompass epifluorescence, confocal and super-resolution microscopy. These instruments offer a broad range of applications to answer central biological questions. Additionally, given the exciting developments in super-resolution imaging, the gap to other microscopies, particularly electron microscopy, but also X-ray imaging, is about to be closed. Integrative and correlative imaging enables the combination of information from the millimetre to the Ångström range and is, therefore, an integral part of modern structural systems biology.